Blocked on Weibo

喀什 (Kashi or Kashgar / Kāshí) and 库车 (Kuqa / Kùchē) are Chinese cities, both located in Xinjiang province, home to a large percentage of China’s Muslim and Uyghur population.

Why it is blocked: On August 4, 2008, sixteen Chinese police officers were killed in Kashgar. Though there are conflicting reports, it was reported by state media that two terrorists drove a truck into a group of officers then attacked them with grenades and machetes. The gruesome attack, just days before the start of the Beijing Olympics, drew wide attention, with some pinning the blame on Xinjiang separatists.

Six days later, violence rocked another Xinjiang city, Kuqa. Again, Xinjiang sepratists were blamed, with several committing suicide while detonating their bombs.

Kuqa has been blocked since at least November; Kashgar’s block is more recent and clearly related to the rioting on Tuesday that left 12 dead, just the latest in a number of incidents in the region. [Status of “Kashgar” - 11/19/12: unblocked; 3/2/12: blocked. Status of “Kuqa” - 11/25/12: blocked; 3/2/12: blocked]

窃听器 (hidden microphone / qiètīngqì), also commonly known as a bug, is usually a combination of a miniature radio transmitter with a concealed microphone.

Why it is blocked: Chinese activists and foreign officials have long been concerned about the police bureau’s surveillance capabilities, especially its ability to wiretap phones. A 2011 Times article opened with an anecdote about a phone conversation being cut off after a caller said the word “protest.” The story elicited much  amazement at the time but has since been viewed as likely to have been a fluke occurrence, at best. Even so, Chinese surveillance capabilities are quite high and such intrusive/heavy-handed tactics are not so uncommon. A recent Times story documents some of the measures U.S. officials take to prevent Chinese monitoring and hacking. [Status - 12/20/11: blocked; 2/5/11: unblocked]

便衣 (plain clothes / biànyī) refers to plainclothes police, officers who wear “ordinary clothes” instead of a uniform to avoid detection or identification as a law enforcement agent.

Why it is blocked: In addition to fighting crime and maintaining public security, it’s been alleged that plainclothes police (sometimes also known as undercover police) have harassed and intimidated dissidents, activists, journalists, and common citizens.